Since growing up on my family’s farm in Minnesota I have always been drawn to agriculture. After a trip to Central America in college I realized there was so much more to the world’s agriculture than corn and soybeans and I set out to learn about it. Vegetable breeding is a great way to see what and how people grow things all over the world.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job as a plant breeder is the amount of creativity I get to employ to solve problems. The best part of my job at Sakata is the people I get to work with on a daily basis.

Sakata recently celebrated 40 years of business in NAFTA – Do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

Sakata’s entrepreneurial spirit makes it a place that fosters people to build innovation. Combining that with Sakata’s emphasis on philanthropy makes this a company I am proud to work for.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you!

I’m pretty fluent in German from spending a year in Cologne when I was in college.